Retirement
by VincentGrimm
Summary: Sephiroth retires to Nibelheim after only reaching Lieutenant. He unexpectedly settles down with Tifa. Then Commander Cloud Strife returns to his home town in search for his first love.
1. Chapter 1

Sephiroth had returned to Nibelheim and was trying to move into the Shin-Ra mansion. He had already destroyed all of the fiends that lurked within the walls but the house itself was falling apart and needed a large make over and a very good clean. Sephiroth had attempted to use the magic 'water' in the main hall but now it was flooded. A knock echoed through the flooded hall, Sephiroth walked down the stairs and then waded through the magically created lake and pushed the door open.

Tifa squealed as the cold water streamed across her feet. Sephiroth appeared in the doorway "I apologise for this" said Sephiroth to the young brunette

"Okay" said Tifa unaware of what to say "Do you need any help?" she asked trying to balance the tray filled with fresh bread and other items of food.

"What is this?" Sephiroth asked indicating to the tray covered by a sheet of fine paper

"Oh yes" said Tifa remembering why she was there "This is a welcome present from the village" Sephiroth smiled and put one hand under the tray and lifted it from Tifa's aching arms.

"Thank you" said Sephiroth lifting the sheet and smiling as he smelt fresh bread

"Do you need help?" asked Tifa looking past Sephiroth into the hall. Sephiroth looked back then smiled

"Please" said Sephiroth "If you can spare it"

Tifa walked into the drenched hall while Sephiroth walked into a side room and set down the food basket and came back into the hall. There were still large puddles but most of the water had gone through the door.

"I'm guessing that Soldier don't teach home maintenance" said Tifa. Sephiroth smiled

"No, they don't" said Sephiroth "If you wanted me to repair a car that has been wrecked I'm the man for you but if you want me to clean your house, you might as well move" Tifa giggled

"Do you have a mop and bucket?" asked Tifa. Sephiroth shrugged

"Your guess is as good as mine" said Sephiroth. Tifa laughed again

"You check those rooms and I'll check the ones over here" said Tifa. Both separated and searched the rooms. It was Tifa who located the cleaning equipment

"I'll sort out this room here" said Tifa. Tifa handed Sephiroth a large wad of cloths and a bucket filled with small bottles and other items.

"Do you mind cleaning the windows?" she asked pointing to the vast stain-glass windows on the landing.

"I will" said Sephiroth.

Sephiroth mixed some of the fluids with water which created a lather which felt strange on Sephiroth's hands. Sephiroth put his coat on the banister and began to clean the windows while on the floor below him Tifa was soaking up the puddles with large sponges and emptying them into the bucket. Sephiroth preferred this type of work to the types he did in the military, here he was working towards redeeming a beautiful mansion while in Soldier he would have been merely blowing things up. Sephiroth created a disk of energy beneath his feet and floated upwards so that he could clean the higher parts of the windows.

"Hey!" called Tifa. Sephiroth looked back down at Tifa. Sephiroth floated down onto the first floor and the disk of energy vanished.

"Yes?" asked Sephiroth

"No magic" said Tifa prodding him in the chest "Get a ladder, we're cleaning and not cutting corners by using magic" Sephiroth smiled and went into the village to borrow a ladder. When he returned Tifa was emptying the buckets of water. Sephiroth took the ladder to the windows and extended it.

"Wait!" said Tifa who came running up the stairs "For a famous person you're very bad at housework" Tifa moved the ladder across so that it was leaning against a wooden beam

"Don't lean it against the glass" said Tifa with a smile

"Why not?" asked Sephiroth "It's thick enough to hold my weight"

"It's thick, true enough" said Tifa "But it's old and these windows are irreplaceable" Sephiroth sighed and climbed the ladder to clean the windows while Tifa went back to the first floor and finished up there.


	2. Chapter 2

Almost four hours later the hall was finally done. Sephiroth sat on the bottom step with Tifa. He looked over at the seventeen year old brunette, she was quite beautiful with her hair fallen down either side of her face and the small beads of sweat that were glistening on the tips of her hair. Sephiroth looked back at the room they were in then up at the dome at the top of the hall, he had used magic to clean it as no ladder could reach the beautiful crystal dome. Tifa looked sideways at the twenty-two year old man at her side who was looking up at the roof. His white hair was pushed back over his shoulder except for two strands which were hung either side of his flawless and pale face. Tifa noted that he was not sweating or even out of breath after all the house work.

"What next?" asked Sephiroth finally looking down. Tifa quickly looked away from him.

"The other rooms" said Tifa "After we've had a rest"

"Would you like a tour while you rest?" asked Sephiroth.

"Yes please" said Tifa "So I can find out which rooms need doing next"

They went through every room in the manor.

"This one needs doing" said Tifa

"The bedroom" said Sephiroth noting the old bed and the destroyed covers.

"I have some spare covers" said Tifa "White, and a family have just moved away from here, you can have their old mattresses; unless you have a reason for not wanting them"

"I see no reason to not want them" said Sephiroth

"Then let's get to work" said Tifa. As they walked down the stairs Tifa examined the banister

"We will need a carpenter" she said "These banisters are warped and cracked"

"Another price tag" said Sephiroth. Tifa smiled

"Of course not" said Tifa "If you offer them a large meal once the work is done you won't be asked to pay, anyway this village is like a large family and many things such as this will be done for free as long as you don't slack"

"That is not something I do" said Sephiroth

"Then why was the hall filled with water when I arrived?" asked Tifa "Cutting corners on cleaning the floor?" Sephiroth smiled

"I will hold my hands up to that" said Sephiroth.

"So let's go acquire a carpenter" said Tifa and led Sephiroth out into the bright sunlight of the village and over to one of the houses.

For the rest of that day the manor was filled with carpenters and a few of the children from the village who had never been in the Shin-Ra mansion. Tifa walked into the bedroom to see Sephiroth sat cross legged upon the bed, laptop in his hands.

"Hey" she snapped making him look up "What are you doing?"

"Buying some furniture and hiring some more workers" said Sephiroth "This place needs more"

"Like what?" questioned Tifa

"New furniture, a team of gardeners and a new kitchen" said Sephiroth

"Can you afford all that?" asked Tifa

"And then some" said Sephiroth whilst nodding. Tifa walked over and sat next to Sephiroth and watched him order and get in contact with many different people. A man in his forties came through the door into the room, it was Tifa's father.

"Mr Sephiroth" he said. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows

"It's just Sephiroth" said Sephiroth getting to his feet and putting the laptop onto the bed

"The staircase's banisters are repaired" he said. Tifa stood up

"Thank you dad" she said.

"Father?" said questioned looking from Tifa to her father "It's strange, I don't see any resemblance"

"She takes after her mother" said Tifa's father.

"Right" said Sephiroth.

"Who do you take after?" asked Tifa. Sephiroth shrugged again

"No-idea" he said "I grew up in Shin-Ra care"

"I'm sorry" said Tifa

"Same here" said Sephiroth "I didn't see any grass until I was thirteen, the ocean until I was sixteen"

"Any ideas on how long it will be until this place is finished?" asked Tifa's dad. Sephiroth shook his white haired head

"When it is finished I'll have the village over for dinner" said Sephiroth "So you can see the finished result"

"I would like that" said Tifa.

"You on the other hand" said Sephiroth turning to Tifa "I would like you to be here whenever you're available, if it's no problem" Tifa smiled

"I love this place" she said "So it won't be a problem"

"Thank you" said Sephiroth "I'll need a contact who knows the people here"

"At your dinner you'll get to meet everyone" said Tifa's father

"I'm looking forward to it" said Sephiroth.


	3. Chapter 3

For an entire two weeks Tifa remained at Sephiroth's Mansion and was rarely seen at her home or without the white haired male. Most of the mansion was finished and now the basement was being renovated. Tifa had been surprised to find out that Sephiroth had brought a library of books

"What was wrong with the ones in the basement?" asked Tifa

"They were not books" said Sephiroth "They were study results"

"An entire library!" she gasped "That's surprising"

"Indeed" said Sephiroth "Now let's have lunch"

Tifa went back upstairs and lounged on Sephiroth's new king-size bed which he had purchased. Minutes later he came upstairs with two plates of food.

"It's nice now your house is finally finished" said Tifa

"There's more to see" said Sephiroth

"What do you mean?" asked Tifa who took the knife and fork offered to her

"You have not seen the garden which my team of gardeners have been working on" said Sephiroth

"I never knew that this place had a garden" said Tifa.

"It didn't until I got the gardeners in" said Sephiroth "We had more of a jungle" Tifa laughed and they began to eat their food. Once they had finished Sephiroth cleaned the plates in his new chrome kitchen and put the plates away before leading Tifa through a set of secret double doors into the enormous garden. Tifa gasped as she stepped out into the garden. It was the right time of the year and all of the orchids and roses were in blossom, their petals were scattered across the thick green grass. Tifa laughed as she walked through the garden. Sephiroth followed slowly watching the brunette who was giggling and running her fingers across the trees and flowers. Once Tifa had reached the end of the garden she came running back up to meet Sephiroth.

"What do you think?" Sephiroth asked he indicated to a bench and they both sat down.

"It's beautiful" she said still smiling. They both sat back upon the bench admiring the garden.

"Sephiroth" she said. Sephiroth looked over to her

"Yes?" he asked.

"When you were in soldier, did you know a man called Cloud Strife?" asked Tifa her hands twisting in her lap. Sephiroth thought back to his time in soldier.

"Yes" said Sephiroth "A young blonde lad"

"What happened to him?" asked Tifa

"I don't know" said Sephiroth "I got to first class then to lieutenant then I left"

"Did he ever speak of me?" asked Tifa

"He did not talk much" said Sephiroth "What he did say was about the work we were doing"

"So he never mentioned me" said Tifa

"Unfortunately not" said Sephiroth "Were you two…close?"

"Almost" said Tifa "He moved away to Midgar so that he could join soldier"

"Many people did that" said Sephiroth "Your Cloud was one of the lucky ones it seems"

"He said he was going to come back to see me when he was a first class soldier, once he was like you" said Tifa

"Then you will be waiting a long time" said Sephiroth "I am one of a kind" Tifa smiled and looked up at Sephiroth

"Yes you are" she said and then, in a lapse of judgement, kissed Sephiroth. Sephiroth kissed her back. When they both pulled away Tifa blushed and looked away, Sephiroth was unaware of what to say. The uncomfortable silence continued until Sephiroth put his hand under her chin and then kissed her again.

That night Tifa never left Sephiroth's home, what happened that night is quite obvious.


	4. Chapter 4

Four Months Later

Tifa moved into Sephiroth's mansion a month later, once she had convinced her dad that she was serious about being with Sephiroth. The mansion was finished and they had already had their dinner with the village. By now Sephiroth was famous in Nibelheim, not for being the best soldier in soldier's history, but for being the kindest. Every month he had a house party and invited the entire village. But their happiness was about to come to an abrupt end.

Sephiroth awoke and put his arm around Tifa who smiled as she awoke to the touch of Sephiroth. Tifa rolled over and looked into his green eyes

"Good morning" she said. Sephiroth checked his watch and raised his eyebrows in surprise

"Afternoon actually" said Sephiroth. Tifa sat up and checked his wrist

"Three o'clock!" she gasped "We should be up"

They both got up and changed before making their way down to the hall. Sephiroth went towards the kitchen while Tifa went over to the dining room which doubled as a living room. Sephiroth was making a pot of tea when a rumbling noise drew his attention. He stopped making the tea and looked out through the window at the black motorbike which had parked outside Tifa's father's house. The rider was a tall blonde male who was wearing a blue fleece jacket and a pair of black trousers. Sephiroth didn't have to see his face to recognise Cloud Strife. Sephiroth called to Tifa who came over, Sephiroth pointed to the motorbike

"Cloud is back" said Sephiroth. Tifa was unsure of what to do; Cloud had been gone so long and now Tifa was very happy with Sephiroth, Cloud was obviously here to continue his life with Tifa.

"What are you going to do?" asked Sephiroth, he could read Tifa's features and he knew that she was confused. They saw Cloud reappear from Tifa's old home and walk towards the mansion.

"He's coming over" said Sephiroth to Tifa who had walked back into the hall.

Tifa's insides were tense as she waited for the creak of the gate, then she heard it. Then came the knock which echoed out through the quiet manor. Tifa turned to the doors but did not open them, again she heard Cloud knocking. Tifa looked over at Sephiroth who was stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

Tifa reached forwards and opened the door on the third knock. Cloud put his hands in his pockets and admired Tifa who was stood in the hall.

"Hello" he said, he clearly knew about Tifa's new boyfriend.

"Hi" she said simply.

"Well can I come in?" asked Cloud. Tifa looked back at Sephiroth but he was not there. Tifa looked around but could not see him.

"I can't see why not" said Tifa and stepped aside to let Cloud inside. Cloud stepped into the shadowy hall and closed the door. As he closed the door his hand landed upon Tifa's. Tifa snatched her hand back quickly.

"Please don't" she said

"Don't what?" said Cloud "I remember you saying that you'd wait for me"

"You should have called then" said Tifa walking away from Cloud.

"I was working" said Cloud "I was working hard so that I could be like Sephiroth but apparently you wanted Sephiroth himself"

"It's not my fault" said Tifa "I just fell for him"

"So you admit that you love him?" said Cloud

"Of course" said Tifa.

Sephiroth was stood on the second floor listening to their conversation, his heart sped up when she said that she loved him.

"Well I'm back for good" said Cloud "I'll be living just over the road, so if you ever change your mind then you'll know where I'll be" Cloud turned to leave but he heard Sephiroth's footsteps. Cloud turned and looked up onto the hall on the second floor where Sephiroth was silhouetted by light.

"Sephiroth" said Cloud nodding to Sephiroth.

"Cloud" said Sephiroth nodding back

"Commander Strife to you, lieutenant" said Cloud

"You cannot pull rank on me, _child_" said Sephiroth "I'm not a soldier" The word child had stung Cloud deeper than he was willing to take.

"Hold your tongue" ordered Cloud "I'm a commander, I can do things to you that even you cannot imagine"

"That sounds like a threat" said Sephiroth descending the stairs

"It might have been" said Cloud "It's up to you" Sephiroth saw Cloud's hand loosen; he was about to go for his weapon,

"Go for your weapon then" said Sephiroth "See how far you get" Cloud obliged and drew his sword. By the time he had swung Sephiroth was already gone. Cloud looked up at the landing of the manor

"Too slow" said Sephiroth simply "I recommend you leave"

"Or what?" said Cloud. Sephiroth smiled

"I think you can guess" said Sephiroth simply.

"Please, Cloud" said Tifa "Just leave us alone"

"You're meant to be with me" said Cloud "The only reason I joined soldier was so I could impress you and protect you"

"How sweet" said Sephiroth from the landing "But now she has someone to protect her"

"Be quiet" snapped Cloud. Sephiroth smiled again

"Just go" said Sephiroth.

"Please, Tifa" said Cloud "Just think about what we promised each other all those years ago"

A white flash illuminated the hall as Cloud was struck with a non-lethal version of blade beam. Cloud crashed into the doors of the manor, gasping in pain and surprise. Cloud looked up at Sephiroth who now had the Masamune in his right hand.

"Sephiroth!" said Tifa in surprise.

"Leave, Cloud" said Sephiroth. Cloud got back to his feet and held his own sword aloft.

"Don't!" said Tifa. Cloud's sword glittered with energy as he swung it against the ground. Three slices of energy sped along the floor towards the staircase. The stairs exploded and Sephiroth fell landing on the first floor.

"Those stairs were hand-crafted by the people of this village" said Sephiroth "And they mean quite a lot to me" Another blade of energy struck Cloud and almost knocked him out. With a wave of Sephiroth's hand the door opened and Sephiroth hit Cloud with another blade of energy which sent him crashing down Sephiroth's garden path.

By now the townsfolk had come outside to see what was going on; the noise made by the weapons had drawn their attention.

"Sephiroth, Cloud, don't!" shouted Tifa as Sephiroth walked out of the manor. Cloud did a front flip and struck the ground with this sword sending another blade beam at Sephiroth. Sephiroth batted it aside with the Masamune. Sephiroth slashed the air ahead of him diagonally and the energy crashed into Cloud sending him over the wall.

"Leave, Cloud" said Sephiroth "You cannot stand up to me so just accept the fact that Tifa and I are in love and there's nothing you can do about it"

Cloud jumped back to his feet and brushed the dirt of him quickly

"Are you sure you want to live with a bully?" asked Cloud

"You started it, Cloud" said Tifa. Cloud turned his back of them and walked over to his house where he slammed the door after he had gone inside. Tifa and Sephiroth walked back into their own home.

"That was unfair" said Tifa

"It was completely fair" said Sephiroth "Like you said; he started it"

"That's childish" said Tifa. Sephiroth smiled at her and Tifa still blushed.

"Sometime childish is fun" he said picking her up. Tifa put her arm around his neck and put her head against his chest as he carried her through to the dining room.


	5. Chapter 5

Back in the home of Cloud Strife the young blonde was sat on his bed in anger induced stupor. It even took six hard knocks on the door to get his attention. Before he got to it the door was shunted open and a large dark skinned male stepped through. Cloud whipped out his sword before the figure could raise his gun-arm.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked. The man did not move, it looked as though he had come to kill Cloud.

"I asked you a question" said Cloud "Don't make me kill you without knowing your name"

"The name's Barrett" said the male

"And what exactly are you doing in my house?" Cloud asked.

"I thought it was abandoned" said the figure named Barrett. Cloud could smell blood

"Are you injured?" Cloud asked. The man nodded

"Yes" he said

"Sit" Cloud said. Cloud quickly closed all of the curtains in the house. The male had a large wound that spread across his upper arm.

"Sword wound" Cloud said

"Yes" said Barrett

"Tell me, Barrett, what are you doing breaking into houses in the middle of the day when you're injured and in Nibelheim of all places" Cloud asked. The large male remained silent. Cloud withdrew a medical box and began to stitch the wound. He knew that he could have just used Cure but if it went wrong, which was not uncommon, then the injury could have been worse. Cloud made sure that the stitches held the wound closed and then he stepped back and raised his right arm.

"Stay perfectly still" said Cloud. Green energy shot from his palm and spread across Barrett's arm before congregating on the stitches. The wound healed and the stitches were liquefied by the magic. Barrett wiped the residue left by the stitches

"Thank you, young man" said Barrett

"Now then" said Cloud sitting in one of the empty chairs "Are you going to explain to me what you are doing here?"

"I am hiding" said Barrett

"From who?" Cloud asked.

"I thought that would be obvious" said Barrett "From Shin-Ra" Cloud felt something snap inside him but he held it back.

"Why?" Cloud asked

"I am part of a team called Avalanche, we are fighting for the planet" said Barrett

"I know what you mean" said Cloud "I won't reveal your presence because I know something that will interest you"

"What?" Barrett asked leaning forwards. Cloud stood up and opened one of the curtains

"Over there" said Cloud "In that mansion, lives Sephiroth"

"I know that name" said Barrett "The man who could have become general"

"Yes" said Cloud "And the strongest of Soldier" Cloud could practically sense the anger that brewed beneath this man named Barrett's skin.

"Do you mind if I use your phone?" asked Barrett

"For what reason?" Cloud asked as he fished his phone from his pocket

"I need to call my daughter" said Barrett "I can get some extra forces here to help us take out this Sephiroth"

"As you wish" said Cloud holding out the mobile phone. Cloud smiled internally as he watched Barrett make the calls. Cloud could finally have Sephiroth removed from the picture and he could even rescue Tifa from the hectic battlefield.

At that time Sephiroth was helping Tifa's father rebuild the staircase for their manor while Tifa helped the others bring in large timbres for the construction.

"Damn" said her father as he examined the wall

"Damn?" Sephiroth questioned "That will not be good"

"We will need a builder" said Tifa's father with a sigh

"Why?" Sephiroth asked

"The wall has cracked" said Tifa's father "If we build the staircase again there is a chance that it will collapse, if it did that then the entire wall would come down"

"Are there any builders in Nibelheim?" asked Sephiroth

"Yes" said Tifa's father "But this will be a big job"

"I can pay, if he wants" said Sephiroth

"I'll go get him" said Tifa's father who left the building. Sephiroth sighed and sat down on a bench that had been brought in.

"How is it looking?" Tifa asked.

"We need a builder" said Sephiroth "Something to do with the wall not being able to hold the weight of the staircase" Tifa sat on Sephiroth's lap and put her head against his chest

"It's tiring this job" said Tifa

"What?" Sephiroth asked "Retirement?"

"You're the retired one" she laughed "I still want to go to Midgar and live my life"

"There's nothing interesting there" said Sephiroth "Maybe I'll take you there some time"

"Please do" she said. The builder came back with Tifa's father and together they decided on how they should do the wall. After a couple of minutes of discussing it the work began on building the scaffolding inside the house.

By the time night had come the scaffolding was done and the first part of work was complete. But also during the day the backup had arrived for Barrett. Cloud Strife had managed to get his hands on a stock of rifles from some of his old contacts within Shin-Ra. Of course he did not tell Barrett about this, he just said that he knew a guy who knew a guy that had managed to get him the guns.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Biggs asked Barrett.

"Yeah" said Barrett "We need to strike back at Shin-Ra"

"You coming with us?" Jessie asked Cloud. Cloud shook his head

"I'm just a contact" he said "It's up to you to get the job done"

"Stop chatting" said Barrett "Its been fifteen minutes since the lights went out, they're probably out cold by now"

The group of people moved silently across the square until they reached the mansion. Cloud watched as they reached the door to the mansion and unlocked it. Then, just as silently, they entered the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Barrett went in first and once he had decided that it was safe for the others to enter he waved them inside. He pointed to the ladders that had been erected to give access to the second floor for Tifa and the builders that had been in the house. Barrett moved ever so slowly across the ground floor and quickly ducked into the shadows, as did the others, when they heard footsteps upstairs.

Sephiroth swung his feet off the bed and walked out of the bedroom into the hallway. He looked down into the shadowy entrance hall and wondered how long it would take until the place was ready and the staircase rebuilt. Sephiroth walked across the upstairs hallway until he reached the small room that was filled with plants. He opened it momentarily until the sweet smell had filled the hallway. The smell of cement was quite overpowering and Sephiroth's enhanced senses were constantly bombarded by it. Now that the hall smelt of something other than cement he dropped off the second floor and onto the first. Sephiroth walked out of the hall and into the kitchen.

Barrett indicated for the others to cover the door while he and Jessie climbed the wooden ladder. For once they were glad that the people used old fashioned equipment as a metal ladder would have made a lot of noise and they would have been located by the Soldier in the kitchen. Barrett looked back at the others who were still monitoring the kitchen door. Jessie looked back at her friends before looking up at Barrett. Barrett was going to give her the 'everything's okay' signal until he saw the absolute fear in her eyes. Jessie was looking just over Barrett's shoulder. Barrett felt a shiver spread up his spine as he turned to look at the figure on the landing silhouetted by white moonlight. Barret raised his arm to fire at the figure but it had already vanished. He blinked and looked around but there was no sight of it. Barrett quickly climbed onto the second floor and reached out to take Jessie's hand but the ladder slipped and she came crashing down twenty feet onto the solid oak flooring of the first floor.

Tifa sat up in her bed when she heard the crash from outside. The young woman turned to face Sephiroth but found that he was not there. Tifa jumped to her feet and got dressed before trying the door which turned out to be locked.

Barrett was watching from above while the others tried to find a clear shot but fighting Sephiroth was like fighting a shadow.

"I wouldn't" he started but they span in his direction and fired at him "Have minded if you had broken in when it was just me living here" Sephiroth finished as he reappeared. The span again and fired but he had already vanished.

"But it is not just me" his voice echoed around the hallway.

Tifa had her ear against the door and she could hear Sephiroth talking too someone. Tifa stepped back from the door as she heard gunfire but then she heard Sephiroth talking again.

"I have someone I love to protect" said Sephiroth's voice. By now Barrett's men were in a circle back to back in the centre of the room with Jessie unconscious near the ladder.

"So you will have to excuse me if my actions are a little harsh" Sephiroth finished.

Something shot from the shadows and sent Wedge ricocheting off one wall with a definitive crack of bone. The others whirled around and the hall was lit up by magical fire from Sephiroth.

Tifa felt the heat coming from beneath the door and so she stepped back to see white light coming through the edge of the door. More gunshots and crackling made Tifa fear for Sephiroth's life. Tifa had seen him fight off Cloud but these bullets were moving an awful lot faster than Cloud had moved.

Jessie groaned as she opened her eyes. All around her was chaotic with battle as magic flashed through the air and her friends fought for their lives. Barrett was firing everywhere from his vantage point in order to hit the phantom they were fighting.

Sephiroth felt a bullet hit him in the arm but he ignored the pain for now; he had Tifa to protect. The maniac on the top floor seemed to be directing the others and so he had to be knocked out first. Sephiroth wished he had his Masamune on him but then cancelled that thought as the Masamune was psychic and probably would have come to his aid.

Tifa heard rattling from the window and so, cautiously, she went to investigate. When she opened the window she could have screamed when she saw Cloud Strife on the ladder.

"Quick!" he whispered to her

"You need to help Sephiroth!" she said to him

"There's a bigger Shin-Ra taskforce on its way, they are going to capture him!" Cloud lied "I need to get you out of here before it arrives, they might take you too!"

"How did they know he was here?" Tifa asked

"I honestly do not know" Cloud said "Maybe his computer"

"I cannot just leave him!" said Tifa who found herself to be crying

"Sephiroth would want you out of harms way" said Cloud "So _please_ come along"

With one fleeting look at the bedroom door Tifa climbed out of the window and down to Cloud's motorcycle where the two of them vanished into the night.

By now Sephiroth had summoned the Masamune and he had no choice but to kill the intruders. He had not wanted it this way but when he had asked to surrender they had shot him again. Sephiroth moved like lightning and cut down the intruders. Only a single person survived; it was Jessie. Sephiroth crouched next to her

"I am going to let you live on one condition" said Sephiroth "Do you understand?"

"Yes" Jessie said

"I want to know who sent you here" said Sephiroth

"Him" said Jessie pointing to Barrett's body which now lay on the ground floor "We are an anti-Shin-Ra force"

"Brave people" Sephiroth admitted "Not many go against Shin-Ra, now leave" he said.

"Thank you" she said and ran for the door clutching her broken arm.

Sephiroth jumped and landed on the second floor before walking over to the bedroom and unlocking the door. Firstly he thought that Tifa was going to jump out on him thinking that he was an intruder but when that did not happen he saw the open window. He ran over to it and saw the ladder. Sephiroth was genius and it did not take him long to make the connection between the intruders, the missing motorcycle and, of course, his missing beloved.

This was the work of Cloud Strife.


	7. Chapter 7

After cursing himself for being so thick Sephiroth broke a vase and kicked a chair. Once he had vented his anger he sat on the bed and tried to figure out where Commander Cloud Strife would go. Of course he would go somewhere where it would be almost impossible for Sephiroth for to locate him and Tifa and impossible for Tifa to reach Nibelheim. Suddenly it struck Sephiroth like a bolt of lightning; of course he would go to Midgar!

Sephiroth was about to launch himself out of the window and go soaring to Midgar when he remembered that Cloud had a motorcycle. Sephiroth lay on the bed calculating whether or not he would be able to reach Cloud before the coast.

"So if his bike can do a hundred and eighteen miles and hour" Sephiroth told himself "Then I've lost" he said finally. Then Sephiroth remembered about Cloud's bike being unable to travel on water and so he would _have _to get the ferry which was where Sephiroth could make up lost ground. Without another thought Sephiroth threw himself through the open window and set off through the sky after Cloud Strife and his much-loved Tifa.

Tifa was sat with her head against Cloud's back as the motorcycle sped across the open plain like a shot. Every now and then Cloud would check the mirror

"Why do you do that?" Tifa asked

"What?" Cloud asked

"Check your mirror" said Tifa "We are hardly going to hold up traffic at this speed, not that there's any traffic" Tifa was putting up a brave front so that she would not have to accept the loss of Sephiroth.

"Habit" Cloud said. Really he knew that Sephiroth was able to fly and the last thing he wanted was Tifa's 'dead' boyfriend turning him into a soup. Cloud accelerated again and continued to check his mirrors every now and then.

By the time the sun was coming up Sephiroth could feel the fatigue from constant flying pricking his energy levels. Sephiroth came to a hard stop at the port in Cost Del Sol and almost shattered the dock. The sailor stationed there started as the dock shook beneath him. At first he thought it was some sort of corpse that had been dropped from a plane but then he saw that it was Sephiroth.

_Oops, wrong thought_ the sailor told himself before walking over to the gaunt soldier.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"The ship" said Sephiroth "When did it leave?"

"Almost six hours ago" said the sailor "It won't be back for at _least_ twenty-eight hours"

"How long does it take to get to Midgar?" he asked.

"It doesn't sir" said the sailor "It goes to Junon"

"How long 'til it reaches there?" Sephiroth asked

"A one way trip from Costa del Sol to Junon takes an average thirteen hours" said the sailor.

"Thank you" said Sephiroth turning and walking back into the town.

Sephiroth knew that he would not make a flight over the ocean in this condition; he would end up passing out and floating onto the beaches of Junon or get eaten by some sea creature, not anywhere near the top of his 'to-do list' and so he knew that he had to rest, only for an hour or so. He still had seven hours to get to Junon and turn Cloud into a coat rack.

Sephiroth paid for a room in the Inn and fell into a trance rather than sleep. Sephiroth had picked up a technique that let him rest eight times as much in quarter of the time by using the excess energy of the planet. So sat in the lotus position upon the bed Sephiroth recharged his supernatural energies.


	8. Chapter 8

Cloud and Tifa were sat facing each other in silence in the ship's hold. Tifa was seated upon a box while Cloud was sat on Fernir watching his old friend.

"What do think Sephiroth will do if he escaped?" Tifa asked "He will come to look for me but I won't be there!" she said almost hysterically "How will he find me?"

"He will find me" said Cloud getting to his feet and walking over to his friend "I'm not that hard to find"

"Will you just let me go though?" Tifa asked looking into Cloud's cobalt eyes

"I'll have to" said Cloud "After all, I can't beat him"

"But you'll probably try" said Tifa looking deep into his eyes. Cloud grinned and looked at the floor

"True" he said looking up again. For the first time since he had come back Tifa felt fairly comfortable in Cloud's presence. Tifa stretched her legs and climbed off the box

"Can I go upstairs?" she asked

"Of course" said Cloud "We're not stowaways, I'm a general" he said rather vainly. Tifa rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs onto the deck followed by Cloud.

Sephiroth opened his eyes and yawned lightly before clambering off his bed and leaving the room. It had been an hour and a half since he had first gone into the room and so he was fairly charged. Already his skin had regained it's tension and he was looking in better shape than he had. Sephiroth walked down onto the dock and closed his eyes. Sephiroth could fly easily but if he wanted to gain ground on the ship then he had to go faster than ever before. He bent his knees slightly and let the power build up. He guessed that he probably looked a bit bizarre crouched on the end of the dock with his eyes closed but he did not care. When he felt the dock vibrate slightly he knew he had built up enough energy and so let fly, literally.

People gasped and pointed as the black figure shot away from the dock at over a hundred miles per hour. The dock exploded in a shower of flying timbres and the clouds were brushed aside by the mere energy that was coming out in waves from the ring of energy that surrounded Sephiroth. Sephiroth was flying towards the upper atmosphere to give him some extra speed. Once he reached the edge Sephiroth hovered and surveyed the planet from his vantage point. Once the air that had been caught in his energy bubble was depleted Sephiroth let himself drop a thousand feet before letting go with an explosion of magical energy which sent him through the sky towards Junon at almost a thousand miles per hour.

"Where are we?" Tifa asked Cloud

"About half way between Costa del Sol and Junon" said Cloud. A large black boat had pulled up beside the ship and the sailors in black were talking to the average sailors.

"Hey!" Tifa said as a sailor was taking the Fernir onto the black ship.

"What?" Cloud asked

"They're stealing your bike!" Tifa said

"No they're not" said Cloud "That's our ship we're going on, we should be in Junon within the hour"

"Oh" said Tifa slightly embarrassed "Sorry"

The two of them boarded the black boat which took off faster than Tifa had expected it too.

Sephiroth had been to Junon and had found out that the ship was not going to arrive for another six hours and so Sephiroth took off across the ocean to see if he could intercept it.


	9. Chapter 9

Forty-seven minutes later the black boat began to notably slow.

"Here already?" Tifa said looking out one of the portholes. But the territory did not look familiar

"Are you ready to go?" Cloud asked as he entered her room.

"Where are we?" she asked

"We are near Midgar" said Cloud

"I thought we were going to Junon" said Tifa

"Because of my job it could have been dangerous to go to Junon, people despise leaders of Soldier remember?" said Cloud "So I ordered the ship we were on to take a longer route to Junon and this ship met us part of the way"

Sephiroth had followed the ship's usual course all the way to Costa del Sol but the ship was nowhere to be seen. Sephiroth guessed that Cloud had anticipated his arrival and so had ordered the ship to take another route, one that would make it impossible for Sephiroth to track it. Once Sephiroth had figured this out he took off again but this time he was going directly for Midgar.

Tifa climbed onto the back of the Fernir and put her arms around Cloud as he ignited the engine and took off away from the boat and to Midgar. The plains were not how Tifa had imagined them; she had imagined them as luscious green and the sky a beautiful cerulean blue. But the grass was brown and dying and the sky was grey with smog.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked as he glimpsed her in the mirror

"I thought that Midgar would be nicer" she said "Not this horrid monstrosity" Cloud laughed

"Many people have the wrong idea about Midgar when they imagine it" Cloud explained "They seem to forget that it's a city filled with motor vehicles and large buildings that cause so much pollution, also the streets can be quite messy as there aren't enough cleaners"

"You actually live here?" Tifa said

"It has its highpoints" said Cloud

"Like what?" Tifa asked

"Restaurants" Cloud said

"That's just one" said Tifa. Cloud laughed again

"I'll take you to one" he said "Then see how you feel about them"

"I'll take you up on that" she said.

Minutes later they had reached the highway that led into the city. Already the traffic was tremendous as hundreds of families and tradesmen that lived on the outer rim of the city wanted to get inside. A crash had also affected the traffic making things even more difficult. Above them a massive airship flew over displaying the banner with President Rufus' name. He had been newly situated as President due to the ex-presidents heart which gave out. Cloud turned into the hard shoulder and sped down to the front of the gridlock. The Soldiers that were there keeping order recognised him and his bike and waved him instantly past onto the now deserted road. Once the road was free Cloud instantly opened the throttle wide and set off like a shot down the highway completely disregarding the speed limits.

Twenty-eight minutes after Cloud and Tifa arrived back at Cloud's apartment Sephiroth landed in Midgar. He stretched for a few seconds before emerging from the alley into a crowded street. The sun was strong overhead but was dulled by the smog that circled the outer rim of the city. People moved all over the place discussing the weather and other pointless events. Sephiroth guessed that Cloud lived in the centre of the city in the vicinity of the Shin-Ra building as it would be highly patrolled by armed guards.

Cloud was showing Tifa around his fairly large apartment. Tifa was glad to see that she had her own room and that the bathroom and shower room doors could be locked so Cloud couldn't accidentally wander in. Tifa went over and opened one of the blinds

"Don't you mind living so close to the Shin-Ra building?" Tifa asked him. Cloud walked over and looked at the large building which towered over them, at the moment it was silhouetted by sunlight making it look rather beautiful, he knew that the entire east side of the building would have their shutters down to block out the glare.

"Not really" Cloud told her "It can actually help, you don't really get hit by the wind so I can have the windows open on the windiest of days without the danger of having my curtains sucked out" Tifa giggled

"That would be a problem" she said.

"Indeed it would" Cloud said and smiled at her.

"So what's for lunch?" she asked

"We'll find something in town" he said "I have never been much of a good cook"

"What sort of things do they have in town?" Tifa asked as they left his home and walked past the armed guards.

"It all depends on what you like" he said

"What I like?" Tifa asked

"Yeah" said Cloud "They have got stuff from Wutai, Mideel and Cosmo Canyon, they've got every type of food you can think of"

"Never tried any of it" she admitted

"You are kidding right?" he asked her

"No" she said shaking her glossy haired head

"Then we have to get a move on, so many foods" he said. Tifa laughed as Cloud dragged her, almost running, towards the nearest restaurant. Tifa couldn't help but laugh as she managed to keep her footing as she followed the Cloud Strife that reminded her so much of the young man she once knew. Tifa couldn't help pulling herself free and running ahead of Cloud who desperately tried to get ahead of her but Tifa was just too fast, just like when she was a child.

Sephiroth continued towards the Shin-Ra building, for a second he thought he had spotted Tifa but it was a different young woman. Sephiroth began to feel his annoyance rise like the everyday tide; how was he meant to find two people in such a big city without aid especially with all the cars going around, people shouting, adults running around like children, dogs roaming the streets and children playing in very irritating places. Despite all the annoyances Sephiroth continued to search the grey and dirty streets. He continued to trudge onwards until he reached the area where Cloud's house was situated. Just as Sephiroth guessed it was completely surrounded by armed guards as were the other buildings in the area. He was thinking of making a run for it; he could probably make it through one of the windows if he ran fast enough but the Soldiers would shoot him, there was _no_ doubt about that one. Sephiroth stood there and stared at the house using his enhanced hearing to actually listen inside the house.

"Who's that guy?" a Soldier in a black uniform asked his partner who was stood near the next house along. The other Soldier looked up to see Sephiroth standing in the middle of the road just staring at one of the houses; it was a very bizarre sight.

"Hell if I know" said the other guard who yawned, he had been on duty all night and didn't get off for another three hours.

"But let's go say hi" he said getting to his feet and walking over to him. Sephiroth was listening ever so closely; he could even hear the ticking of the kitchen clock. Suddenly Cloud's alarm clock went off which was near deafening to Sephiroth. The incredibly loud beeping startled Sephiroth. Sephiroth shook his head and was about to start listening in again when two guards were suddenly stood next to him.

"Hello" said the guard closest.

"Hello" Sephiroth replied

"Do you live here?" asked the other guard

"No, you don't" said the closest guard before Sephiroth could reply "So piss off" the guard removed a control from his pocket and pressed the button closing a large black titanium gate between them and the houses and Sephiroth. Sephiroth looked at the two black clad guards through the bars of the gate.

"You don't seem to be leaving" said the guard "If I have to open this gate again then I'm going to arrest you" without a word Sephiroth walked away from the gate; Cloud was not in the house and so must be somewhere close because Sephiroth had glimpsed the motorbike parked at the side of his house.

Tifa was enjoying herself for the first time in a long while. Tifa had always enjoyed her days with Sephiroth but with Cloud she could act very childish and she was glad to see that Cloud was being open with her for once. Cloud was banging a tub of something against the table trying to get it open.

"Hate it when this happens" he said with a smile.

"Hand it over" she said snatching it from him

"If I can't open it" Cloud started but Tifa twisted the lid off easily "Never mind" he finished with a smile. Tifa grinned up at him

"Were you going to say something?" she asked

"Just trapped wind" Cloud said with a smile. Tifa and Cloud both laughed. Cloud spread some of the stuff he had got from the pot onto some bread.

"What's that stuff?" Tifa asked, the smell was incredibly familiar

"Peanut butter" he said

"What's that?" she asked "I've heard of peanuts and butter but never two in one"

"It's got the texture of butter" he said "But the taste of peanuts" Tifa saw the 'peanut butter' was very thick and bitty.

"Cloud Strife, you must be visually challenged, I have never seen butter that looks like that" said Tifa with a smile making Cloud laugh

"Alas no" he said "Maybe not texture but everything else I said was spot on"

"I shall take your word for it" said Tifa continuing in the posh accent.

"Indeed you shall" said Cloud copying the posh-ness with a smile "Would you care to try some miss?" he asked brandishing some peanut butter on a spoon.

"Indeed" she said with a smile. Cloud held it out and Tifa leaned forwards to eat it off the spoon. At the last moment Cloud nudged the spoon upwards catching Tifa on the end of her nose. Tifa sat back in her chair

"I cannot believe you have done that young man" she said with a laugh whilst wiping it off her nose with a napkin. A waiter came over carrying a tub of ice in which dwelled a bottle of champagne.

"Here we go, sir" he said putting it down on the table

"Thank you" said Cloud uncorking the bottle and pouring some into glasses for Tifa and himself.

"Thanks for this, Cloud" said Tifa

"For the food?" Cloud asked "Least I could do"

"No" said Tifa "For saving me from the Shin-Ra before they arrived and to make sure I was safe"

"You are my childhood sweetheart" said Cloud blushing only ever-so slightly "I couldn't leave you there to be captured"

"How sweet" she said tapping her glass against Clouds "A toast" she said with a smile

"To what?" Cloud asked. Tifa shrugged

"To childhood sweethearted-ness" she laughed

"You made that word up" said Cloud

"Yeah" said Tifa with a smile as she drank some of the champagne as did Cloud.

"So what do you want to do later?" he asked her

"I don't know really" she said

"Do you want to see the city?" he asked her

"Is it all as bad as that?" she asked pointing out of the window

"Not from the air" he said

"From the air?" Tifa asked. Cloud smiled

"It's not _really_ allowed" said Cloud "But I think I might be able to _borrow _the Highwind"

"What's that?" she asked. Cloud indicated to the clouds that were gathered above the Shin-Ra building. Tifa gasped as she saw a massive airship which hovered among the clouds.

"How exactly would you _borrow_ one of them?" Tifa asked.

"That would be telling" he said with a wry smile. The waiter came over with their meals

"Firstly let's eat" he said "Then we'll go for a journey, if you feel up to it"

Tifa nodded and the two of them tucked into their meals.


	10. Chapter 10

Sephiroth had already walked up and down the street that was outside the compound where Cloud lived but there was no sign of them. Sephiroth noticed that there were quite a few shops and restaurants on this street and considered checking each one but in his mind that was complete waste of his time. He decided to go back and talk to the two guards that patrolled the gates.

"Some people just do not learn" said the guard as he saw Sephiroth walking back towards the gate. He withdrew the remote from his pocket and pressed the button opening the gate slowly. The two guards got to their feet and walked over to meet Sephiroth, one of them was already removing the handcuffs when they met Sephiroth.

"Sir, I'm going to have to arrest you" he said. Sephiroth raised his palms

"I'm only here to ask you a question" said Sephiroth. The guard lowered the cuffs momentarily

"Alright" he said "Just the one"

"Do you know where Cloud Strife and his new associate have gone?" Sephiroth asked.

"New associate?" a guard asked.

"Oh yeah, the new girl" said the other guard as it finally came to him "She came here earlier on the back of his bike"

"Oh right" said the guard "No, sorry"

"Thank you anyway" said Sephiroth and walked away back into town. _So she is here with him, just as I though_ thought Sephiroth as he walked away from the area.

Cloud and Tifa finished their lunch and left the restaurant.

"So are you up for that trip?" Cloud asked.

"Sure!" said Tifa with a smile as she linked Cloud's arm "So how do we _borrow_ that ship? You have to tell me sooner or later"

"I'll wait 'till later" said Cloud as they walked back into the compound.

"Sir" said the soldier "Someone was looking for you"

"What did he look like?" asked Cloud thinking it was just another reporter

"He had" started the guard

"Damn" said Tifa

"What?" Cloud asked

"I forgot my phone in your house" said Tifa. Cloud handed her the key and Tifa set off towards the house.

"What were you saying about this man?" asked Cloud

"He had long white hair, black coat; he looked quite dangerous" said the soldier. Cloud felt the fear tingle in his stomach and he whirled around to see if he could see Sephiroth in the crowds but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Problem sir?" asked the guard

"Do _not_, under any circumstances, let that man into the compound" said Cloud "This order cannot be overridden, understood?" the soldiers saluted Cloud

"Understood Commander" they said simultaneously

"Consider him a level one threat, he is extremely dangerous so if you have to kill him; do it" said Cloud

"Yes, sir" they said again

"One last thing" said Cloud

"Anything commander" they said simultaneously

"I want four times more guards out here ASAP" said Cloud "He is _not_ to be underestimated"

"Yes Commander" they said together. Cloud saluted them before walking to meet Tifa who was leaving the house.

"You okay?" Tifa asked him "You look a bit flushed"

"Nothing just a cold breeze" he said "Now let's go on that trip"


	11. Chapter 11

Cloud and Tifa walked through the Shin-Ra building without being asked for identification once, It looked like everyone knew who Cloud was.

"You lived up to your promise" said Tifa with a smile when they boarded the elevator

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked "I haven't finished all of it have I?"

"Yes" Tifa said with a smile "You said you would come back and rescue me when you were famous, which you have done and you are very famous" Cloud smiled to himself

"I never really thought I would get it done" said Cloud

"Well you have" she said with a smile. When the got off the elevator they went up even more stairs until they reached the floor below Rufus' office.

"Hello Commander" said a Turk who had just come down the stairs from Rufus' office.

"Hello Reno" said Cloud shaking his hand

"How's everything?" Reno asked putting his hands in his pockets

"So-so" said Cloud "You?"

"Kinda boring" said Reno "We've got nothin to do, so we're being dispatched to Wutai, such fun" he said sarcastically.

"I might see you out there" said Cloud

"It's always a possibility" said Reno walking away.

"Can you wait here?" Cloud asked Tifa "I need to speak to the President by myself"

"Okay" said Tifa taking a seat. Cloud smiled at her and went up the stairs to meet President Rufus.

When Cloud first entered Rufus was sat with his head on the table in a bunch of papers.

"President?" Cloud questioned. Rufus sat up straight with a bit of paper stuck to his forehead.

"Sorry Commander" said Rufus removing the piece of paper "So much work to be done I rarely get a chance to sleep"

"It's understandable" said Cloud

"So what brings you here?" asked Rufus "You are on leave for" Rufus checked a document "A month"

"I was wondering, well asking, if I could perhaps take a friend of mine up on the Highwind" said Cloud.

"Do you know how to operate it?" Rufus asked looking through the back window of the office to where the ship was tethered.

"Of course" said Cloud "I have been taught how to operate all vehicles" Rufus mulled it over in his mind _Cloud is the best commander and he is serving us well_ thought Rufus.

"Why not?" said Rufus smiling only slightly "It will be a floating billboard for my name" Cloud laughed but then kept it in. Rufus smiled

"Go get your friend" said Rufus "Before you go, how is everything on the western front?"

"Easy enough" said Cloud "The peasants are still fighting back but superior firepower and numbers is forces are giving us, well Shin-Ra, an easy victory"

"Glad to hear it" said Rufus "It's been hard enough to keep it out of the papers"

"It's on the other side of the world" said Cloud "None of the people there have transport and even if they did your navy has surrounded the entire land mass, nothing is leaving that island unless it works for Shin-Ra and has authorization"

"And if it tries?" Rufus asked now fully awake

"We blow it to smithereens" said Cloud "Mr. President" he added. Rufus smiled

"Your friend must not be kept waiting" said Rufus. Cloud saluted to him and ran down the stairs to meet up with Tifa. By the time the two of them had come back up the stairs Rufus was already gone. Cloud and Tifa exited through the door and out onto the balcony before climbing the rope ladder onto the deserted Highwind.

"We're pirates!" declared Tifa as they entered the empty control room

"What would you have done if this place was packed?" Cloud asked. Tifa just giggled and walked over to the large window at the front. Cloud quickly made sure that everything was working before going over to the controls and opening the throttle slightly.

Rufus watched from his bedroom window as the Highwind rose into the clouds bearing the President Rufus banner. He wondered where Cloud would be going with his 'friend' but his concentration was drawn away by the ringing of his video phone. Rufus sat in the large leather chair and activated the monitor. He was instantly drawn to the background noise which was explosions and gunfire.

"Tseng" said Rufus with a smile "Is everything going well?"

"We have just reached Wutai Mr. President" said Tseng "They have a very strong resistance here and we are being pushed back, we might need Commander Strife for this operation"

"He is on leave for a month" said Rufus "You know that"

"Yes Mr. President" said Tseng "Is there anyone you can send out to help us deal with this resistance?"

"I could send out the rest of the Turks if you think you need their aid" said Rufus

"I would be thankful" said Tseng

"Then consider them on their way" said Rufus. Tseng bowed to Rufus and Rufus cut the call. Already it had been a month since Rufus had invaded the isle of Wutai but the campaign was coming to a much needed end. There was a lot of Mako energy running beneath Wutai and so Rufus wanted to flatten it and build the largest reactor there; easy enough.

Cloud managed to turn the Highwind completely until it had its back to the Shin-Ra building. With one last check of the energy readout Cloud opened the throttle and the rotors began to spin as fast as they could sending the Highwind away from Midgar as fast it could go.

"This is actually quite fast" Tifa commented as they sped towards the outer wall of Midgar.

"No traffic either" joked Cloud. Tifa smiled as she watched the dirty city speed by below them.

"Radio mast!" said Tifa only spotting the wiry little antenna moments before they hit it.

"Hold on" said Cloud and span the wheel until it reached its end. The Highwind turned roughly and with another flick of the controls it tilted. Tifa grabbed onto the handrail as her feet were swept from underneath her. Seconds later Cloud turned again and the ship went back on course.

"Where you meant to do that?" Tifa asked

"Yes" said Cloud

"Are you meant to do that?" Tifa asked

"Probably not" said Cloud with a short laugh.

By the time Tifa and Cloud had boarded the Highwind Sephiroth had checked all the restaurants on that street and he still could not find them. He thought about going to check the Shin-Ra building but he doubted that the two guards on the gate would let him past. A small black company car was making its way through the gates and Sephiroth recognised the driver, more importantly the driver recognised him. Reno pulled over in the car

"Well if it isn't Sephiroth" said Reno shaking Sephiroth's hand as he leaned out of the car.

"How are you Reno?" Sephiroth asked and not really caring

"Fine" said Reno "Just off to Junon to get a ship to Wutai"

"What's in Wutai?" Sephiroth asked

"A war" said Reno "Meant to be led by Commander Strife but he is too busy entertaining the brunette"

"Brunette?" Sephiroth said "What did she look like?"

"Very large chest, white t-shirt and a brown miniskirt" said Reno.

"Where did you see them?" asked Sephiroth

"Just gone to see Rufus" said Reno "Anyway I have to go, see ya" the car screamed away with a cloud of smoke that clouded Sephiroth from view.

"Isn't this guy ever going to go away?" asked the soldier watching Sephiroth "Now he's bothering the Turks" the soldiers walked towards Sephiroth as Reno screamed away. Just as Sephiroth was clouded in smoke the Soldiers raised their weapons as something shot out of the cloud of smoke and crashed into them. The guards lay there flat on their backs

"What was that?" asked one of the soldiers groaning.

"I think it was that guy" said the soldier watching the Highwind leave its station. Sephiroth looked up and saw the Highwind speeding away. Sephiroth concentrated and set off flying after the Highwind.


	12. Chapter 12

Tifa and Cloud continued to fly westwards in the Highwind without bother

"You got it?" Cloud asked as Tifa was holding the controls

"I think so" said Tifa. Cloud removed his hands from around Tifa as he stepped back from the wheel. The Highwind drifted sideways slightly but Tifa put it back on course.

"Good" said Cloud with a smile "I think you've got it"

"So where did you learn to fly this?" Tifa asked

"Soldier of course" said Cloud.

"Ah yes" said Tifa "Good old Soldier, Cloud, have you quit Soldier?" Cloud stayed quiet for a while

"No" he finally said "I'm on leave for a month"

"So after that you're off again, just like before" said Tifa. Cloud walked over and put his hand on Tifa's.

"I wish things could be different" said Cloud "But quitting Soldier isn't as easy as you might think, especially if you are as high a rank as I am"

"Sephiroth did" said Tifa looking into Cloud's eyes.

"Sephiroth was only a lieutenant" said Cloud stepping closer to Tifa "And he killed a fellow officer which got him discharged"

"He killed someone" whispered Tifa as she continued to look into Cloud's eyes.

"When they tried to arrest him" whispered Cloud. Cloud suddenly embraced Tifa and pulled her into a kiss that had been building for years. Tifa put her arms around Cloud and kissed him back with no regret to Sephiroth's apparent memory. The wheel began to spin as something got caught in the rotor blades.

"Jesus" said Cloud breaking free of Tifa as he tried to fight the wheel's spinning motion. Thirty or so red lights had popped up on the control screen.

"What is it?" Tifa asked

"Something's binding the right engine" said Cloud.

Sephiroth watched as the right engine finally exploded sending both the rotor blade and the thick wire falling to the grassy plains below. Sephiroth flew upwards and landed on the deck of the Highwind.

"What do we do?" she asked Cloud as they felt and heard the explosion.

"Parachute for you" he told her "They are in that cabinet over there"

"What about you?" she asked

"I'm going to try and land it" said Cloud "This ship is very expensive and I'll probably be shot if I destroy it"

"Then I'm staying" said Tifa

"I can't do it with knowing that you're not safe" said Cloud "So Tifa please just get going" With one last kiss Tifa ran to the parachute cupboard and got one before running out of the control room. After watching her go Cloud continued to wrestle against the controls. Tifa had only just got to the stairs when another figure appeared. Tifa stood there frozen to the spot; she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Sephiroth!" she said in surprise. Tifa ran forwards and hugged him and Sephiroth returned the hug.

"I thought I would never find you" said Sephiroth.

"Cloud told me you were dead" said Tifa crying.

"Come on" said Sephiroth taking Tifa out onto the deck

"How did you get up here?" Tifa asked him. Sephiroth swept her up into his arms and stepped off the edge. Unfortunately for Sephiroth's super enhanced hearing Tifa screamed right the way down until Sephiroth brought them to a complete stop on the earth. Sephiroth and Tifa watched as the Highwind smoked across the sky always dropping as it headed towards the ocean.

"You have to help him!" said Tifa

"Why?" Sephiroth asked "He sent people to my house to try and kill me and then ran away with you"

"No" said Tifa "Shin-Ra sent those soldiers after you"

"They were not Shin-Ra soldiers" said Sephiroth "They were just normal people"

"Then because I love him" said Tifa looking at the floor. When she and Cloud had kissed it had opened up a completely new door in her emotions. Sephiroth felt as though he had been shot but said nothing, he was numb.

"Alright" he said coldly. Tifa was covered in dust and dirt as Sephiroth flew towards the crashing Highwind.

Cloud roared in anger as he tried to fight the controls. He felt a hand on his shoulder

"I told you to go Tifa!" he said and turned around "Oh" he said as he said who it was "This is going to be an uncomfortable conversation"

"There isn't going to be one" said Sephiroth taking control of the ship

"What?" asked Cloud as the ship shook again

"Tifa loves you" said Sephiroth "So I'm going to get you to her"

"How?" asked Cloud "This ship is like a three legged rhino"

"Then let's change the animal" said Sephiroth and pulled a lever.

The rotors dropped away and the Highwind's jet engines roared into life shooting the Highwind across the sky.

"How did you know about that?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth turned the ship around towards the area where he had left Tifa.

"Sephiroth" Cloud said. Sephiroth did not look at him but Cloud guessed that he had his attention "I am sorry but me and Tifa are childhood friends so it was only a matter of time"

"I know" said Sephiroth "Here" he said stepping away. Cloud retook the controls.

"So what are you going to do now?" Cloud asked. When he did not get an answer he turned to find Sephiroth gone.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud called out but got no reply. Tifa saw the black dot speed away from the Highwind as it came in to land but Sephiroth did not stop to speak to her instead he just flew away into the horizon. Tifa felt very guilty seeing him go and wondered how she could make it up to him but she knew that there was no way to change his feeling about her.


	13. Chapter 13

Tifa walked over to the mansion from Cloud's small house which she was only staying in until she got her things from the mansion. Tifa knocked but the door swung open silently. When Tifa walked inside she was happy to see that everything was repaired but was sad to see that the large candelabrum was cold as was the house. Tifa called out to Sephiroth but he was not there. Tifa pushed back a tear as she remembered all the happiness that had been created in that mansion. Silently she walked up the stairs and into Sephiroth's bedroom. Everything of Sephiroth's had been removed already and Tifa didn't feel right moving in and so she took her stuff and packed it into a large black suitcase. Before Tifa left she straightened the bedcovers which she had creased and walked back downstairs.

Tifa thought she heard something and whirled around but the place was empty she remembered.

"I don't know if you're out there" Tifa said to the house "But I really am sorry Sephiroth and I just want you to know that I do love you but my feelings for Cloud" Tifa didn't finish, instead she broke down crying. Her tears fell from between her fingers and created small pools near her knees. These reminded her of the first day she had met Sephiroth when he flooded the mansion with magic. Tifa felt worse remembering this and continued to cry. Tifa suddenly began to feel better and a little warmer. When Tifa moved she heard something rub against the floor. Tifa was surprised to see that she was draped in Sephiroth's coat. Tifa tugged at the collar slightly as she had done when he used to wear it. Tifa smiled as she recognised the smell on the coat which was the sweet smell of Sephiroth. Tifa got to her feet and took one final look around before walking out.

Sephiroth watched from the shadows as Tifa left the mansion while wearing his coat. Sephiroth couldn't bring himself to comfort her because it would have made him feel worse just talking to her and so he had given her something to remember him by.

Drenched by the feeling of loneliness Sephiroth faded into the shadows of the mansion and into the untold tapestry of time.


End file.
